core

## Constructing a Cone Feature

Construct Cone dialog box

PC-DMIS allows several methods for constructing a cone. The following table lists the various types of constructed cones, along with their necessary inputs. Some features may require no inputs while others may require six inputs or more. The term "Any" in the table below indicates that the construction can take any type of feature as input for construction. PC-DMIS allows you to select the features in any order.

CONSTRUCT FEATURE TYPE | SYMBOL IN EDIT WINDOW | # OF INPUT FEATS | FEAT #1: | FEAT #2: | COMMENTS
Auto Cone | - | - | - | - | See "Auto Cone Construction".
Best Fit Cone | BF | At least 6 inputs are needed. | - | - | Constructs a best fit cone using the given inputs. See the Note below for recommended inputs.
Best Fit with Recomp Cone | BFRE | At least 6 inputs are needed. (1 must be a point) | - | - | Constructs a best fit cone using the given inputs. See the Note below for recommended inputs.
Cast Cone | CAST | 1 | Any | - | Constructs a cone at the centroid of the input feature.
Project Cone | PROJ | 1 or 2 | Any | Plane | Using one input feature, projects the cone to the workplane.
Reverse Cone | REV | 1 | Cone | - | Constructs a cone with a reversed vector for the axis.

For Best Fit (BF) or Best Fit Recompensate (BFRE) constructions, while you can use any feature type for your input features, BF and BFRE fit types are typically used with point features or point sets (a scan of points, a feature set with points, or an expression that resolves to an array of points).

If you select inappropriate feature types, PC-DMIS displays "Cannot construct [feature]. Combination of input features not accepted." on the status bar.

To construct a cone:

1. Select Insert | Feature | Constructed | Cone to display the Construct Cone dialog box.

2. Input the desired features.

3. Select the method of construction. Available options include:

- Best Fit or Best Fit Recompensate Cone

- Cast Cone

- Projected Cone

- Reversed direction Cone

- Auto Cone

4. Click the Create button.

The Edit window command line for this option would read:
feature_name=FEAT/CONE,TOG1,TOG4,ANG
THEO
This stands for theoretical. It is the nominal size or location information./x_cord,y_cord,z_cord,i_vec,j_vec,k_vec,ang
ACTL
This means Actual, meaning the "measured" size or location information as opposed to the "theoretical" size or location information./x_cord,y_cord,z_cord,i_vec,j_vec,k_vec,ang
CONSTR/TOG2,TOG3,......
feature_name=FEAT/CONE,TOG1,TOG4,LENG
THEO/x_cord,y_cord,z_cor,i_vec,j_vec,k_vec,leng,diam_1,diam_2
ACTL/x_cord,y_cord,z_cor,i_vec,j_vec,k_vec,leng,diam_1,diam_2
CONSTR/TOG2,TOG3,......

The actual Edit report displays in all capital letters.

TOG1 = POLR or RECT

TOG2 = CONE

TOG3 = BF / BFRE / CAST / PROJ / REV

TOG4 = IN / OUT

TOG5 = ANG / LENG

The first three lines that display in the Edit window are similar for constructed cones. If the feature is bound or unbound, the theoretical and actual values that are displayed will vary. The fourth line will be slightly different, according to the type of feature being constructed. You can switch between the different types of cones by placing the cursor on TOG and clicking the left mouse button. The keyboard can also be used to switch toggle fields. (See "Command Mode Keyboard Functions" in the "Using the Edit Window" chapter.)

When two or more features are involved, PC-DMIS automatically determines the necessary order of the input features. This improves the accuracy of the measurement process.

Auto is the default method of construction. This option automatically determines the best way to construct a cone using the input feature(s). See "Auto Cone Construction"

The following paragraphs describe the available options for constructing a cone:

More:

In / Out Cone

Auto Cone Construction

Constructing a Best Fit or Best Fit Recompensate Cone

Constructing a Cast Cone

Constructing a Projected Cone

Changing the Direction of a Cone

Variations